March 3, 2008

LEWISBURG, Pa. - Six awards were handed out at the Bucknell Women's soccer team's annual banquet this past weekend. Each year, the squad selects an Offensive MVP, Defensive MVP and Rookie of the Year along with presenting the Friend of Bucknell Soccer Award, Gibbons-Crane Award and Coaches Award.

The 2007 Offensive MVP honor went to junior Jennifer Dervarics (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus). Dervarics, who was tabbed the Patriot League's Offensive Player of the Year this past fall, was named to the all-league first team and earned SoccerBuzz All-Region recognition, finished the 2007 season with career-high totals in every offensive category, leading the Bison with 30 points on 12 goals and six assists over 20 contests.

Sophomore Lauren Stoller (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge) was selected as the team's Defensive MVP after starting all 20 games last fall and collecting her second straight all-league honor. At American on Nov. 3, Stoller logged her first career point, recording an assist on the lone tally for the Bison, which helped the squad clinch the 2007 Patriot League regular season title.

The Rookie of the Year Award was presented to freshman midfielder Kelliann Doherty (Voorhees, N.J./Eastern Regional). In her rookie campaign, Doherty played and started all 20 games, tallying six goals and three assists for 15 points on the way to an All-Patriot League first team accolade and a SoccerBuzz All-Freshman All-Region nod.

The Friend of Bucknell Soccer Award, which is "presented to a member of the Bucknell Soccer Family whose extraordinary support of the team has made a profound difference in the experiences of the student-athletes" was awarded to mathematics professor Peter Brooksbank.

The Gibbons-Crane Award, "given to the player who, in the opinion of her teammates and coaches, epitomizes the highest standard of character, commitment, determination, integrity, skill, and work ethic required to be a `complete soccer player'," went to both Stoller and senior Leslie Schulze (Brookeville, Md./Sherwood). The Gibbons-Crane Award recognizes the lasting contributions that Regional All-American, Lisa Gibbons '95, and Academic All-American, Joanne Crane '95, made to the Bucknell Women's Soccer program.

Schulze also received the Coaches Award, which is "presented by the coaching staff to the player whose contributions to the team, on and off the field, have made the greatest impression on the team's identity and mark of excellence." She will graduate as a member of the winningest class in program history having played in 48 career games with one goal and eight assists for 10 points. Off the field, the midfielder garnered four Patriot League Academic Honor Roll selections, posting a 3.77 cumulative grade-point average as a political science major.

The Bison finished 2007 with a record of 11-8-1 and captured their second consecutive Patriot League regular season title.